Detection of Helicobacter felis in a cat with gastric disease in laboratory animal facility / 한국실험동물학회지

A 3-month-old male cat in the animal facility was presented for investigation of anorexia and occasional vomiting. We collected the specimens from gastroscopic biopsy and stool collection. The gastroscopic biopsy specimens were tested using a rapid urease test, CLO Helicobacter-detection kits. Stool specimens were gathered and evaluated using the commercially available SD Bioline H. pylori Ag kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. Genomic DNAs from gastroscopic biopsy and stool specimens of the cat were extracted and submitted to the consensus PCR to amplify Helicobacter rpoB gene. Then the DNAs from gastroscopic biopsy and stool specimens were conducted a multiplex species-specific PCR to amplify urease B gene for H. heilmannii, H. pylori and H. felis. As the results, the rapid urease test with gastroscopic biopsy was revealed positive reaction. The result of H. pylori Stool Ag assay was one red line, negative for H. pylori. The gastroscopic biopsy and stool specimen were positive reactions by the consensus PCR reaction using the RNA polymerase beta-subunit-coding gene (rpoB) to detect Helicobacter species. By multiplex species-specific PCR with gastroscopic biopsy and stool specimens, no amplification products corresponding to either H. heilmannii or H. pylori were detected, but the specimens tested were positive for H. felis. This case was confirmed as gastroenteric disease induced by H. felis infection. On our knowledge, this is a very rare report about H. felis-induced gastroenteric disease in cat and may provide a valuable data on the study of feline Helicobacter infection.

Anti-inflammatory and Anti-tumorigenic Effects of Açai Berry in Helicobacter felis-infected mice

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic effect of açai berry after chronic Helicobacter felis colonization in the stomachs of C57BL/6 mice. METHODS: A total of 57 four-week-old female C57BL/6 mice (18 control mice and 39 experimental mice) were used. The mice were administered orogastrically with vehicle only or vehicle containing H. felis, 5 times every other day. After inoculation of H. felis, mice were fed either a standard or an açai-containing diet and then sacrificed at 4, 24, and 52 weeks. The infection status and degree of inflammation were determined by culture and histopathology. The level of gastric mucosal myeloperoxidase (MPO), TNF-α, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: At 24 weeks after inoculation, mucosal atrophy and mucous metaplasia appeared in all infected mice. At 52 weeks after inoculation, dysplastic change was noted in 10%, 25%, and 50% of mice in the H. felis-control, H. felis-açai 5%, and H. felis-açai 10% groups, respectively. The neutrophil, monocyte, atrophy, and metaplasia grades of infected mice showed no significant difference among the H. felis-infected groups. H. felis-infected mice fed with açai berry showed no significant difference compared with H. felis-infected control mice in gastric mucosal MPO, TNF-α, and IL-1β levels. CONCLUSIONS: H. felis that colonized the stomachs of C57BL/6 mice provoked inflammation, and induced mucosal atrophy, metaplasia, and dysplasia. However, açai berry did not effectively prohibit the gastric carcinogenesis which was induced by chronic H. felis infection.

Effect of N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea on Helicobacter-induced Gastric Carcinogenesis in C57BL/6 Mice

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) treatment followed by chronic Helicobacter pylori SS1 and H. felis colonization on the stomachs of C57BL/6 mice. The role of MNU and Helicobacter species in gastric carcinogenesis was also elucidated. METHODS: A total of 69 C57BL/6 mice at 4 weeks of age were divided into 6 groups according to MNU treatment and H. pylori SS1 or H. felis infection. The mice were sacrificed at 21 and 50 weeks. The degree of inflammation was determined by histopathology. The levels of gastric mucosal myeloperoxidase, TNF-α, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: In the H. felis groups with or without MNU, the incidence of gastric tumors was 21.1% and 35.0% at 21 and 50 weeks, respectively. No gastric tumors were observed in all control mice. At 50 weeks, 37.5% of gastric adenoma cases were observed in the H. felis alone and MNU + H. felis groups. Furthermore, 12.5% of gastric adenocarcinoma cases were observed in the MNU alone and MNU + H. felis groups. The gastric mucosal IL-1β level was significantly higher in the MNU + H. felis group at 21 weeks and H. felis group at 50 weeks, respectively, than that for control mice (P < 0.05). However, the effect of MNU on H. pylori SS1-induced gastric carcinogenesis was low compared to that on H. felis. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of MNU before H. felis infection provokes severe inflammation through IL-1β, and eventually induces gastric cancer. However, the role of MNU in H. pylori SS1-induced gastric carcinogenesis model is minor.

Evaluation of assays to detect Helicobacter felis infection in cats / 동물의과학연구지

Recently, several companies have released H. pylori stool antigen (HpSA) test kits. However, there is little information about the usefulness of HpSA testing for Helicobacter felis, which is the major Helicobacter species in cats. The aim of the present study was to compare diagnostic methods for diagnosis of H. felis with HpSA tests and PCR assay using cat stools or gastric mucosa. Male cats (n=6) were infected with H. felis ATCC 49179 (1.0 x 10(9) CFU /cat) by intragastric inoculation two times at 3-day intervals, and stool specimens of cats were collected 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 days after infection for HpSA testing and H. felis-specific PCR. For the results, sensitivities of the HpSA test and PCR analysis were 50.0% and 83.3% respectively. Cats were sacrificed 21 days after H. felis inoculation, and gastric tissues were homogenized. All gastric biopsy specimens were positive based on a rapid urease test (RUT) (6/6, 100%) and PCR (6/6, 100%). Based on these results, the HpSA kit is useful and effective for monitoring H. felis infection using stool specimens. If an HpSA test could be made with H. felis antibodies in the future, its sensitivity could be increased further. Further, PCR assay could be successfully used to detect H. felis in stools. Application of this HpSA kit and PCR assay can be utilized as a non-invasive strategy to identify H. felis in cats.